Neil Sheth, Prospect High School

Chuck Berman, Chicago Tribune

In his essay for the Chicago Tribune All-State Academic Team scholarship application, Neil Sheth criticized Albert Einstein's decision to endorse the atomic bomb. Sheth believes scientists should focus on technology that benefits humankind, he later explained.The 18-year-old, a senior at Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, said he wants to "make something meaningful for the world," namely in health care technology."Much of the field is yet to be discovered," said Sheth, who has participated in several medical research programs and has been shadowing physicians at local hospitals through a district-run Medical Academy program. "That area will be significantly influential in how our country progresses, especially with the health care reforms that are going to be in effect."Sheth, captain of his school's cricket team, has been taking part in the DECA business club and participated last month in the finance section at the international-level competition in Los Angeles. The event "helped me come up with new ideas and new ventures," he said.Sheth plans to attend Northwestern University, which offered him guaranteed admission to the medical school should he pursue that route, he said."As of now, all I know is I want to study biomedical engineering. ... I was thinking I could go to medical school and go into the medical field, or I was thinking of pursuing an economics minor and something related to entrepreneurship and going into finance" related to health care technology, he said.As Sheth prepares for the fall, his college counselor Diane Bourn predicted a bright future: "I've often said that if anyone is going to solve the health care crisis in our country, it's going to be Neil."-- Rachael Levy

In his essay for the Chicago Tribune All-State Academic Team scholarship application, Neil Sheth criticized Albert Einstein's decision to endorse the atomic bomb. Sheth believes scientists should focus on technology that benefits humankind, he later explained.The 18-year-old, a senior at Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, said he wants to "make something meaningful for the world," namely in health care technology."Much of the field is yet to be discovered," said Sheth, who has participated in several medical research programs and has been shadowing physicians at local hospitals through a district-run Medical Academy program. "That area will be significantly influential in how our country progresses, especially with the health care reforms that are going to be in effect."Sheth, captain of his school's cricket team, has been taking part in the DECA business club and participated last month in the finance section at the international-level competition in Los Angeles. The event "helped me come up with new ideas and new ventures," he said.Sheth plans to attend Northwestern University, which offered him guaranteed admission to the medical school should he pursue that route, he said."As of now, all I know is I want to study biomedical engineering. ... I was thinking I could go to medical school and go into the medical field, or I was thinking of pursuing an economics minor and something related to entrepreneurship and going into finance" related to health care technology, he said.As Sheth prepares for the fall, his college counselor Diane Bourn predicted a bright future: "I've often said that if anyone is going to solve the health care crisis in our country, it's going to be Neil."-- Rachael Levy (Chuck Berman, Chicago Tribune)

In his essay for the Chicago Tribune All-State Academic Team scholarship application, Neil Sheth criticized Albert Einstein's decision to endorse the atomic bomb. Sheth believes scientists should focus on technology that benefits humankind, he later explained.The 18-year-old, a senior at Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, said he wants to "make something meaningful for the world," namely in health care technology."Much of the field is yet to be discovered," said Sheth, who has participated in several medical research programs and has been shadowing physicians at local hospitals through a district-run Medical Academy program. "That area will be significantly influential in how our country progresses, especially with the health care reforms that are going to be in effect."Sheth, captain of his school's cricket team, has been taking part in the DECA business club and participated last month in the finance section at the international-level competition in Los Angeles. The event "helped me come up with new ideas and new ventures," he said.Sheth plans to attend Northwestern University, which offered him guaranteed admission to the medical school should he pursue that route, he said."As of now, all I know is I want to study biomedical engineering. ... I was thinking I could go to medical school and go into the medical field, or I was thinking of pursuing an economics minor and something related to entrepreneurship and going into finance" related to health care technology, he said.As Sheth prepares for the fall, his college counselor Diane Bourn predicted a bright future: "I've often said that if anyone is going to solve the health care crisis in our country, it's going to be Neil."-- Rachael Levy